


Dancing In The Kitchen

by Between_A_Dream



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 22:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6925252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Between_A_Dream/pseuds/Between_A_Dream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's another night of slaying for Buffy, Xander, Anya, and Willow, but Tara decides to stay behind and spend some time with Dawn who is feeling less than loved. While she does her chores Tara decides to make things more fun for the teenager with a bit of magic. Friendship relationship between Dawn and Tara. Set in mid season 5.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dancing In The Kitchen

**Author's Note:**

> I always loved how Tara and Dawn got along, both feeling like outsiders to the scoobie gang, so I decided that I would write a little story about Tara making Dawn feel better.

"We really have to get going. These vampires aren't gonna slay themselves," Buffy's voice could be heard as she, Xander and Anya walked down the steps. Sitting on the couch were Tara and Willow, while Dawn sat in the lounge chair across from them, a coffee table sitting in between them with Monopoly spread out across its surface.

"Awe, do you guys have to go? We were in the middle of the game," Dawn complained.

"Well I'm sorry to interrupt your precious game but I'm pretty sure some evil blood sucking creatures are more important than paper money," Buffy snapped, annoyed.

"Normal money is paper too," Dawn grumbled, but Buffy, too worried about the possible threat of vampires, didn't bother to care about correcting the mistake in her insult.

As Willow stood up with Tara's hand in her own, the blonde girl pulled back.

"Maybe I could stay here with Dawn actually?" she asked. A bit confused, Willow looked between her girlfriend and the teenager's suddenly hopeful face, and it clicked what the other Wiccan was trying to do.

"Oh, uh, yeah, you should, you guys can finish the game," Willow smiled. She pulled Tara in for a gentle kiss goodbye. "You're just a big softie aren't you," she whispered playfully in her lover's ear, causing a large blush to spread on her girl's face.

"I love you, p-please be safe," Tara kissed her once more.

"I love you sweetie. I promise I'll be ok. I'll be back soon," Willow promised.

"Bye guys, I love you Buffy!" Dawn called out.

"We'll be back soon. Dawn, please do your homework. And finish your chores!" was the only response the slayer gave before she and the tree others walked out, leaving Tara and Dawn alone in the house.

Sighing, Dawn slumped back into her chair.

"You w-wanna keep playing?" Tara asked, instantly sensing that something was wrong.

"She doesn't care about me," the words broke the blonde Wiccan's heart.

"Awe Dawnie, of course sh-she does, she's j-just busy, that's all," Tara promised.

"Yeah right. Willow's busy too, but you at least still get an 'I love you' before she leaves to go fight some demon or vampire... Some evil creature... Some evil thing that could kill her... And then you'd never see her again... But at least you know she loved you and she told you before... Before..." Dawn trailed off into tears, and Tara quickly stood and walked around the coffee table, pulling the young girl into her arms.

"Hey, shh, it's ok, Buffy loves you," she promised. For about 10 minutes Tara held the crying girl until her tears subdued.

"I... I should probably start working... On my homework you know," Dawn suddenly pulled away and wiped her tears.

"Well... I c-could always, you know, h-help? With your homework and, you know, chores?" the blonde offered.

"No no, it-it's ok, I'm fine. I don't wanna ruin your evening," she started to walk into the dining room with her homework folder.

"I wanna help," the words caused Dawn to stop and turn back around. Tara offered her a small smile which the teenager returned after a moment. "Besides, it'll be fun," the Wiccan grinned.

"Homework and cleaning? Fun? How old are you again? 30?" Dawn teased. Pretending to be offended, Tara dramatically gasped and held her hand over her heart.

"Why, how could you ever assume such a thing, I'm only 5 years older than you are," she giggled, causing Dawn to laugh as well. "Now come on, I'll show you how to make this more enjoyable," with a sideways smile, Tara led her young colleague into the dining room.

* * *

"How does chemistry make sense to anyone! Like I care how to label a stupid acid," Dawn sighed. She and Tara were sitting at the table, the teenager working on her homework while the blonde read a book. Setting it down, she walked over to the chair beside Dawn.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"What's the point. My test is in three days and this stuff makes no sense to me. How am I supposed to remember how to label these in three days?" she groaned, letting her head fall down to the table.

"W-well, I struggled with chemistry a lot too. W-when I was back in high school you know," Tara admitted.

"How did you manage to pass?" Dawn asked, not lifting her head.

"Well, I k-kind of came up with a system. See, acids like Nitrate and Carbonate, they are icky acids, and they end with ic. And then acids like nitrite, they end in ous. I had a little saying I would always write down on my tests- I ate something icky and it gave me the itous," Tara explained a little shyly.

"And... That really works?" Dawn questioned. Nodding, the blonde looked down at the paper.

"So, say you have sulfate. As an acid, what does it end with?" she asked. Repeating the phrase under her breathe, Dawn suddenly understood.

"Ic? Because it's something icky?" she asked. Smiling, Tara nodded.

"See, you can do it," she promised. "Tara that's amazing! I... Thank you," blushing, the teenager threw her arms around the older woman in a tight hug, which the Wiccan responded to with a laugh and a hug back.

* * *

"Time for cleaning, the worst part of my day," Dawn groaned as she finished her last homework problem.

"Cleaning isn't so bad, especially when you have some help," Tara responded.

"Can't we just say that we did clean and a... A magic evil demon came? Like, and messed everything up again?" Dawn asked hopefully, though she knew what the answer would be. She half expected Tara to say she wasn't going to help if Dawn was going to be like that, but instead the blonde girl laughed.

"As much as I would love to, I think we both know Buffy wouldn't fall for that. And I'm not sure there are any demon's who's sole drive is to mess up houses," she chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate cleaning," the teen grumbled.

"Well, there's a lot to do, how about we split it up? I'll work down here in the living room and the bathroom, and you can work in the bedrooms upstairs?" Tara offered.

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks again, you know for helping," smiling appreciatively, the teenager made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom, while Tara smiled after her and started cleaning up the living room.

* * *

The two worked for about an hour when the both finally finished their assigned chores. Dawn made her way down the stairs to see Tara finishing washing out the shower in the bathroom.

"See, that wasn't so bad. All that's left is the kitchen," Tara smiled.

"The worst part," Dawn grumbled.

"I will detest that statement because I just cleaned the bathroom, but I will also let it slide because you're 15," the Wiccan laughed and a small smile grew on Dawn's lips. The two walked out into the kitchen together.

"Ok, Buffy's list says she wants the entire kitchen cleaned up, including dishes, garbage taken out, floors mopped, windows cleaned, and counter's wiped off," Dawn read from the scrap of paper. She sighed and walked to the sink, holding up a plate that was circled by birds around the edges.

"Can't you just magic everything clean? Or teach me how to do it?" she pleaded.

"No, but I can definitely make this more fun," Tara grinned.

"How are you gonna do that?" Dawn questioned.

"We're going to have fun. We'll make it a game. How about whoever finishes first wins?" the blonde Wiccan suggested hopefully. "Tara no offense, but that sounds like a really boring game," Dawn sighed, starting to scrub the plate she held in her hands.

"Well, we just have to make it a little more interesting," Tara grinned and with those words, she snapped her fingers. Suddenly the birds on the plate started moving in a circle, flapping their wings and chirping.

Gasping a bit and smiling, Dawn watched as the blonde witch cast her spells upon different kitchen objects. The silver wear in the sink were dancing with each other, cabinets were playing music, and windows were singing.

"It's like in 'Sleeping Beauty'! You know, when they fairies all make the stuff move and clean with them!" Dawn gasped happily. Laughing, Tara nodded.

"It was always my favorite movie as a kid," she explained.

"Mine too," Dawn giggled as she watched a fork and a spoon dancing on the counter together. The two girls laughed as they helped guid objects to their correct spots, cleaning things as they went along. Eventually, all that was left was the floor.

Tara smiled and looked at the mop in the corner. Standing up on its own, the mop approached the Wiccan and she curtsied as it bowed down.

"What's that Miss Mop? Why, I'd love to dance! Just don't tell Willow, she might get mad," Tara added the last part in a joking whisper. Laughing, Dawn watched as the Wiccan and the mop danced across the floor, Tara floating slightly to avoid the floor. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Dawn turned to see a second mop behind her. She laughed and followed Tara's lead, dancing with the mop over the floors. She squealed slightly as the Wiccan lifted her with a spell, the two floating it midair as they waltzed through the room.

"May I have this dance?" Tara asked Dawn as she let go of her mop. Beaming from ear to ear, Dawn took her hand and the two spun through the kitchen in the air as their mops danced together. Neither girl could keep from giggling at how funny the cleaning utensils looked together.

Tara spun Dawn around in circles, both in tears from laughter. Suddenly they heard the door open and they saw Buffy walk in the room followed by Xander, Willow, and Anya, all four of them startled at the sight before their eyes. Laughing and ending the spell that was causing the girls to float, Tara landed back on her feet and helped Dawn steady herself, then snapped at the mops to cease their dance. They made their way back to their position in the corner as Dawn and Tara caught their breath.

"It certainly looks like you two had fun," Buffy was the first to speak, amused at the actions of the two women. Nodding, Dawn smiled and looked at Tara.

"Yeah. We had a lot of fun. B-but, my chores are all done, and she even helped me understand my homework," the teenager beamed happily. Smiling, Willow looked at the teenager then at her lover who only grinned back.

"Thank you again for watching her Tara," Buffy smiled at her friend.

"No problem, it was a fun night," she laughed. The slayer walked past her and gave a gracious smile before walking through the house to see if the chores were indeed done.

* * *

Later that night, as Dawn lay asleep in her bed, Willow, Tara, Buffy, Xander, and Anya were all sitting in the living room discussing the night's previous actions. "And then Buffy went all kapow on a vamp and just like shoved a stake into his heart and then just, poof, all gone," Anya explained excitedly.

"Sounds like an eventful time," Tara laughed, curling up a bit closer to Willow who smiled and kissed her lover's cheek.

"What about you and Dawn? You definitely seemed to have fun," Buffy questioned.

"Yeah w-we did. I think she's really starting to understand her Chem," the blonde Wiccan smiled, but not as brightly as usual.

"And, she's ok? Everything's good?" Buffy continued.

"Well... I mean... She did say... She said she kinda feels... Well I don't know, is it bad to tell you? What she said?" Tara asked nervously.

"Sweetie no, if she's upset about something then we need to know," Willow promised.

"Well... She said that she doesn't feel loved," Tara admitted.

"What? How could she not feel... All we do is make sure she's okay!" Buffy seemed both hurt and upset.

"Well, when you guys left she did seem hurt... Because she said she loved you and you didn't... You know... S-say it back," the blonde explained.

"She... I didn't... I was just-" Buffy started to ramble.

"I-I know that you were just preoccupied and I explained it to her, which helped, I think, but I also think you should talk to her... You know... I c-can only say so much, but y-you're her sister so," Tara answered.

"I'll definitely talk to her in the morning. Thanks for looking after her Tara," Buffy smiled and the blonde Wiccan smiled back. After a bit more conversation the slayer went up to bed and Xander and Anya left, leaving Tara and Willow alone in the room.

"Do you feel like that? You know... Unloved?" Willow struggled to say the words.

"God, sweetie no, of c-course not. I know th-th-that you love me. And I think Dawn kn-knows Buffy loves her. I think she's just you know, teenage hormones and all," Tara explained.

"You really took good care of her," the red haired Wiccan smiled a bit and kissed her girlfriend gently.

"Yeah. I feel bad for her sometimes. I know the feeling of being left out. But I know that she's loved and I hope she does," Tara smiled back.

"And you are too. I love you Tara, so much," Willow ran her fingers through the girl's blonde locks.

"I love you too Willow," the Wiccan grinned, kissing her lover passionately but gently on the lips. Both girls smiled and walked up to their room, their hands linked. Tara climbed into bed and Willow curled behind her, spooning her and wrapping her arms securely around her waist. The two lovers drifted off into a deep rest, their hands linked and their sleep filled with dreams of each other.


End file.
